I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game - Chapter 164: Dragon King Festival (5)

A tremendous downpour.

Boom!

And then lightning.

A cloudy sky and even darker ground.

Waves surged with the power to overturn the land and sky, and deep-sea creatures and various monsters caught in the rain and waves tried to destroy each other.

Boom!

A loud noise was heard.

The village chief raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

A loud whoosh accompanied a large bird soaring into the sky. No, a person? Aaah! The village chief found himself screaming.

“Kim Shin-hwa! Kim Shin-hwa! That monster! That demon!”

He didn’t know what kind of magic was in effect, but Kim Shin-hwa’s jet-black robe shone brilliantly as if it was woven from the Milky Way of the night sky.

The hem of the robe fluttered as Kim Shin-hwa flew in a bizarre trajectory that was hard to follow with the naked eye.

Swoosh!

The wave continued to surge against gravity. It was a spectacle that could hardly be called a wave anymore. A giant pillar of water? An upside-down waterfall? Or a massive water dragon writhing to destroy the enemy?

Boom!

The pinnacle of the water pillar exploded, and the True Person of the Tortoise emerged. Extending his twelve thick claws forward, he charged toward Kim Shin-hwa.

“Graargh! Die, you heretic scum!”

The True Person of the Tortoise had tougher and stronger scales than others. And that speed! That power! The body of a mage with its soft and delicate skin would be utterly destroyed and torn into a thousand pieces just from a mere touch!

“Stop following me!”

A blinding white flash appeared. As if to burn the optic nerves!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderous roar followed belatedly. The lightning summoned by Kim Shin-hwa struck the True Person of the Tortoise’s body.

“Aaaargh!”

“Graargh!!”

“True Person of the Tortoise!!”

Screams came from unexpected directions. They came not from the True Person of the Tortoise, but from the mouths of the village chief and the deep-sea people, who forgot they were in the midst of battle and looked up to the sky. Is this what a real battle between the strong is like?

Contrary to the deep-sea people’s fears, the True Person of the Tortoise’s speed did not decrease at all.

Although his ceremonial robe was torn, revealing the turtle-like shell hidden on his back, Kim Shin-hwa’s desperate attack did no damage to the True Person of the Tortoise.

“Oh Dragon King of the West Sea, I, a descendant of the sea, earnestly beseech you; let the whirlpool of the deep sea befall into my belly!”

The True Person of the Tortoise’s incantation continued at an incredible speed.

Kwoooo!

The True Person of the Tortoise’s abdomen swelled, and a high-pressure stream of water burst from his mouth.

Kwaaaah!

“Ah, this turtle bastard, seriously!”

The water cannon was powerful enough to crush rocks and tear trees from their roots just by being caught in its path. Realizing that his flimsy protective barrier couldn’t withstand it, Kim Shin-hwa lowered his flight trajectory.

But it was a mistake.

There, a wave surged towards Kim Shin-hwa, putting him within the deep-sea people’s range.

“Greureureuk! Throw!!”

Bwooong!!

The deep-sea people’s spears, nets, and arrows shot up like a torrent toward him!

Whooooosh!

Kim Shin-hwa created a high-speed vortex around his body and managed to deflect the deep-sea people’s attacks.

0.5 seconds. That was the time Kim Shin-hwa took his eyes off the True Person of the Tortoise. But the cost of losing those 0.5 seconds was terrible.

“Greuk! Got you!”

Crackkkk—

The village chief had limited but usable magic and the ability to sense magical power.

Because of this, he could sense the enormous number of protective barriers forming around Kim Shin-hwa. But the True Person of the Tortoise was a step above that!

Kwooooom!

Kim Shin-hwa plummeted at a speed almost invisible to the eye!

“Uwaaah-!?”

Kim Shin-hwa screamed.

He’s gone mad!

Though it was possible to smash into him, the True Person of the Tortoise chose not to. He pushed with all his might.

As a deep-sea person, he knew how to fight in a three-dimensional space far better than a human awkwardly flying with newfound power.

Kwaaaah!

Kim Shin-hwa crashed into the muddy ground, still within his protective barrier.

The wave summoned by the True Person of the Tortoise had turned the ground into a quagmire, as it swallowed Kim Shin-hwa along with his barrier. In an instant, he was buried up to his waist.

The protective barrier was keeping the mud at bay, but the moment it was lifted, Kim Shin-hwa would be buried alive.

“Damn it!”

Even with the wave, how could solid ground become this buried? There were human bones mixed in the mud. The place where Kim Shin-hwa was buried was where the deep-sea people disposed of their sacrificial offerings. The ground, which had been dug up several times, was bound to be softer than other places.

Kim Shin-hwa thought, Ha, not a single thing is on my side, not the climate, not the terrain.

“GreureuK! Stay buried!”

The True Person of the Tortoise came flying in.

Whooosh!

Kim Shin-hwa hurriedly extended his hands before sending dozens of fireballs and increasing the number of protective barriers.

“Greureuk! It’s useless! Useless! It’s useless!”

The True Person of the Tortoise continued to push forward while swinging both fists to deflect the fireballs.

Boom boom boom boom!!

The True Person of the Tortoise trampled and pounded Kim Shin-hwa, who was “trapped” in his own protective barrier.

Fire? The rain bestowed by the Dragon King reduced its power.

Necromancy? The fog created by the Dragon King weakened its control.

Electric shock? The True Person of the Tortoise’s scales and hard shell deflected it.

“Greureuk! What else can you do? Human! Human! You land beast!”

Shock? Freeze? Wave? Poison? Curse?

The Dragon King’s blessing, the deep-sea people’s tough scales, and their robust bodies adapted to the deep sea deflected and nullified everything.

Boom boom boom boom!!

Kim Shin-hwa was simply buried deeper and deeper into the ground while he was surrounded by the protective barrier. Now, Kim Shin-hwa had no chance of winning! It was their victory! The sacrifice could be given later, even if it was delayed!

The village chief thought this and he was about to cheer.

Had a silent necromancy golem not grabbed the village chief’s neck, he really would have done so.

“Greureu… H-Huh?”

It was a grotesque necromancy golem with four sickles instead of fingers. Among the necromancy golems, it was small and lacked any distinct characteristics.

The necromancy golem’s opposite hand gestured beside the paralyzed village chief.

Though it was made of a ladle, pencil, and smartphone holder, its meaning was clear. A gesture understood by both humans and deep-sea people alike: “Turn around quietly.”

“Grrrr…”

The village chief slowly turned around.

The face of the necromancy golem that was made up of all sorts of junk came into view.

A speaker, a small trash can, part of a vacuum cleaner, and a large doll head attached to what would be the left cheek of a human.

The doll’s eyes (one of which is missing) spun around a few times and then spoke to the village chief.

“Yes. Stay still.”

It was Kim Shin-hwa’s voice.

“Greureuk!?”

The village chief growled low, but his intense fear prevented any further action.

“Well, it’s quite interesting to see myself being defeated from a third-party perspective.”

The necromancy golem nodded a few times as it continued to speak.

“By the way, that turtle fellow is really strong. No wonder he’s at the level of a judge, right?”

The Kim Shin-hwa fighting the True Person of the Tortoise was not at full strength. Though the body was Kim Shin-hwa’s, a third of his consciousness was controlling the necromancy golem here.

Even so, he couldn’t give such complicated orders. Kim Shin-hwa sneered through the necromancy golem’s body.

“Again, again, again—”

He wanted to shout, “What kind of trick is this!?”, but the village chief’s tongue was frozen and he was unable to speak. Oh no, no! This demon!

“Village Chief, you brought it, right? Where is it?”

The necromancy golem moved the ladle and smartphone holder attached to its left hand to rummage through the village chief’s chest.

“Damn it, I really need to make one with a proper hand. Ah, here it is.”

The vintage doll on the necromancy golem’s head emitted an eerie glow. However, the words that came from its mouth were surprisingly cheerful.

“Ah, well done, chief. I thought you might bring it, but if you hadn’t, it would have been quite troublesome. Good job.”

“That, that is—”

—A bomb?! A magic stone bomb.

It was something a young man from Insu Village had made a year ago but hadn’t used.

An old man who was seeking revenge for his son over the past year had kept it.

He had given it to Kim Shin-hwa and asked him to use it for the village’s freedom from the oppressive deep-sea people.

Although it had been temporarily taken by the village chief who was a deep-sea hybrid, it was now back in Kim Shin-hwa’s hands.

“Alright. For the good village chief, I’ll share some useful information.”

Kim Shin-hwa opened the hand made of sickles to release the village chief. He continued speaking.

“Look over there. There’s something amazing.”

Over there.

The necromancy golem extended the sickle on its right hand to point at a spot in the air.

And there was…

Crash!

Kim Shin-hwa was completely buried underground along with the protective shield.

It wasn’t just Kim Shin-hwa.

The area around the True Person of the Tortoise was deeply dug out and resembled a pit made by an anthill. And even when the True Person of the Tortoise turned his head, it was impossible to see the surroundings.

“Grrr! This is the end!”

The True Person of the Tortoise raised both hands high and concentrated his magical power. A crashing sound came from his hands. Now, he would destroy this protective shield entirely! Bury him alive!

Wait, what is this? This strange sound? Why is it so quiet around here?

A strange sound could be heard from somewhere. It was drowned out by his own roaring, by the squelching of mud, by the surging magic, and by the sound of rain.

The sound of water? No, it was a sound that tugged at his insides, a nostalgic sound that drew in his soul. And, and—the True Person of the Tortoise listened closely.

|H- U- U-|

What is this? The song of the deep sea. The song of the waves. The sound of the Dragon King calling him. What is this? No, it can’t be.

“Haa! Grrr!!”

The True Person of the Tortoise felt a severe headache and clutched his head.

From beneath his feet, from the mud, and from under the protective shield he was standing on, a small voice could be heard.

“As expected, Mr. Turtle has quite the strong resistance.”

“Grrr, grrr—resistance?”

|U- U- U- H- U- H- U-|

His head hurt. What was that sound?

the True Person of the Tortoise straightened his back. What was happening outside the pit?

The deep-sea people gazed with dazed expressions at the mysterious creature flying in the sky.

|O-O- H- O- H- O-|

A beautiful song.

A red body flying in the sky. A large single eye. A pair of wings and a broad seaweed-like tail.

That was undoubtedly the Dragon King’s messenger.

One day, when the time came, the Dragon King would send his messenger, the Three-Leaf Statue, to wake them. The legend passed down through the sea had come true.

The Dragon King was calling them. Let’s go, back to our home. Our blood longs for the sea. Let’s return to the sea. To the sea. Let’s go to the sea.

The village of Insu was trapped in fog and mountains. There was only one way to reach the sea from this village.

The sea well. Let’s go to the sea well.

Splash—

One.

Splash— Splash—

Two. And three.

The deep-sea people and the hybrids began to jump into the sea well with dazed expressions.

“Grrr! Stop! You fools! What are you doing! Don’t go! Where are you going!”

the True Person of the Tortoise’s large eyes spun wildly in different directions. What was this? Where was it? What was singing this song?! The sky! It was that! A small, red, bizarre creature was singing a strange song.

“Ssss—”

The True Person of the Tortoise’s stomach swelled. He was preparing to spew a high-pressure stream of water from his mouth.

“Oh no, you can’t do that.”

Something shot out and pierced through the muddy ground.

“Kr, Kraaack!”

White and horrific tentacles.

A huge number of tentacles stretched out from all directions.

A dreadful noise of cracking and creaking. They writhed, wobbled, tangled, and flailed. Distracted at a critical moment, the True Person of the Tortoise was caught by these grotesque, horrifying tentacles.

Boom!

The ground rose, and the sky flipped.

A monster! A horrifying monster! From beneath the ground, a monstrous creature with a body made entirely of white tentacles surged up!

And standing on the body of that monster was Kim Shin-hwa. The True Person of the Tortoise screamed in desperation.

“Greureuk! You! Yoooou!!”

Kim Shin-hwa said with bright yellow eyes shining through the four holes in his mask.

“You always let your guard down when you think you’re winning.”

“Greureureureuk!! Greureureureuk!”

“Now, let’s finish the Dragon King’s ritual as promised.”

But I’ll decide the method.